This Hawaiian Spam Fried Rice recipe features spam, eggs, and tender grains of rice stir-fried to perfection. It's an incredibly versatile dish; you can add or subtract ingredients based on your preference or what's available. No matter what you do, the result will almost always be delicious.
Can't get enough of fried rice recipes? Check out my Shrimp Fried Rice and Char Siu Fried Rice next!
Hawaiian Spam Fried Rice is a popular dish served throughout Hawaii and can be found in the kitchens of many home cooks. Everyone has their way of making it, but it typically includes at least rice, spam, and eggs.
It can be served as a main dish for lunch, dinner, or a hearty breakfast. And, like most fried rice dishes, it comes together quickly - with your ingredients prepped, the cooking time is less than fifteen minutes.
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🍚 What is it?
Hawaiian Fried Rice is a popular dish from Hawaii that includes eggs, rice, and Spam. The dish is typically fried with aromatics such as onions and garlic and seasoned with traditional Chinese sauces such as soy sauce.
Like many Hawaiian dishes, it draws influence from the diverse immigrant communities that migrated to Hawaii, in this case, the Chinese.
Spam was introduced to Hawaii sometime during World War II and slowly integrated into the local food scene.
🧂 Ingredients
- Eggs - One of the most underrated parts of fried rice. They provide soft and fluffy morsels that contrast with the fried rice's rich, chewy, and savory elements.
- Oil - We need a good amount so the ingredients sizzle in the pan.
- Spam - I prefer low-sodium Spam as I always find regular Spam too salty.
- Garlic - Freshly minced provides the best flavor.
- Frozen vegetables - Use a medley of frozen vegetables or a single variety, such as frozen peas. This dish is versatile, so you can use whatever vegetables you have.
- Cooked rice - Preferably day-old rice which gives the fried rice tender, chewy texture.
- Soy sauce - Provides saltiness, umami, and a tinge of brown color.
- Oyster sauce - Adds a savory depth to the rice.
- Sugar - Balance the salty and savory flavors from the Spam and other seasonings.
- Green onions - Provide freshness and color.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1. Cook eggs
In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat until its slightly smoking. Add the eggs, and scramble them with chopsticks or a spatula. Transfer the eggs to a cutting board and dice them into small pieces.
Step 2. Cook Spam
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok over high heat. Add Spam and cook for 1 minute until lightly browned.
Then, reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and onions and saute for 2 minutes until the onions are tender and translucent.
Step 3. Add vegetables and rice
Increase the heat to high and add the frozen vegetables. Stir-fry for 1 and ½ minutes until the veggies are hot.
Add the rice and stir fry for 3 minutes, breaking up the rice to separate the grains, until the rice is hot.
💭 Tip
I like using a fish spatula when making fried rice at home. It helps to scoop up the rice without breaking up or mushing up the grains.
Step 4. Add sauce, eggs, and scallions
Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and toasted sesame oil and stir-fry for another 2 minutes until the rice is coated in the sauces.
Finally, add the eggs and chopped green onions and stir to mix. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.
💭 Top Tips
- Make sure you have all of your ingredients ready to go. Frice rice is made quickly once the stove is turned on. All ingredients should ideally be prepared in separate bowls within arm's reach of the wok.
- Use low-sodium Spam instead of regular Spam. I find regular Spam too salty, but that's my preference.
- When adding the frozen vegetables and rice, hover your hands over the rice to gauge its temperature. Generally, we want the previous ingredients to be hot before adding the next ingredient. This ensures all the ingredients are cooked for the proper amount of time.
- For the best texture, use day-old rice. Freshly made rice yields stickier, mushier fried rice. If you don't have any old rice, make some new rice and spread it on a baking sheet to dry it for an hour in the freezer.
👨🏻🍳 Variations
- Vegetables - Hawaiian Spam fried rice is a highly versatile dish that can easily be customized by adding or removing ingredients. I prefer frozen vegetable mixtures, but you can use any vegetables. Carrots, peas, corn, bell peppers, and broccoli are excellent choices. If you're using stiffer vegetables like carrots or broccoli, parboil them for 45 seconds in boiling water to soften them before stir-frying.
- Pineapple Fried Rice - You can add ½ cup of pineapple chunks along with the frozen vegetables to add a tropical flair to the dish.
- Nori (Dried seaweed paper) - Serve the rice with crushed or thinly sliced nori strips on top.
🥡 Storage & Leftovers
Storing: Allow leftover Hawaiian Spam Fried Rice to cool to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator. Place it in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers by frying in a non-stick pan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Use a spatula to break up large clumps, and add additional water if the rice seems dry. If it's really dry, you can put a lid on the rice to trap the steam.
Freezing: Place the fried rice on a baking sheet and refrigerate it. Once the rice has completely cooled, divide it into zip-lock freezer bags or airtight containers and freeze it for up to a month.
📖 Recipe FAQs
You can use other meats, but it won't be Spam Fried Rice anymore. Spam has a unique taste, but you can substitute it with bacon, ham, or sausage.
Spam can be an acquired taste for many people. If you didn't grow up eating it, you might not like it at first. However, Spam is a nostalgic food with special meaning for me and others. It's a food that was cheap and always available, and often used as a replacement for "real" meat. It's a food that was once consumed out of necessity rather than enjoyment but has since grown to be enjoyed and appreciated.
You can use brown rice instead of white rice for a healthier option. The recipe and instructions for making Spam fried rice with brown rice are the same as using white rice.
The best way to make Spam taste good is to pan-fry it. When Spam is pan-fried, the Maillard reaction occurs, giving it a more complex flavor and a crispy exterior. This is why we pan-fry the Spam cubes before adding the remaining ingredients to the wok.
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📋 Recipe
Hawaiian Spam Fried Rice
Equipment
- 1 wok (optional)
- 1 fish spatula (optional)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon neutral oil (divided)
- 3 egg (beaten)
- ⅔ can Spam (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ medium onion (diced)
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 scallion (sliced)
Instructions
- In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat until its slightly smoking. Add the eggs, and scramble them with chopsticks or a spatula. Transfer the eggs to a cutting board and dice them into small pieces.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok over high heat. Add Spam and cook for 1 minute until lightly browned.
- Then, reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and onions and saute for 2 minutes until the onions are tender and translucent.
- Increase the heat to high and add the frozen vegetables. Stir-fry for 1 and ½ minutes until the veggies are hot.
- Add the rice and stir fry for 3 minutes, breaking up the rice to separate the grains, until the rice is hot.
- Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and toasted sesame oil and stir-fry for another 2 minutes until the rice is coated in the sauces.
- Finally, add in the eggs and scallions and stir to mix. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.
Notes
- Make sure you have all of your ingredients ready to go. Frice rice is made quickly once the stove is turned on. All ingredients should ideally be prepared in separate bowls within arm's reach of the wok.
- Use low-sodium Spam instead of regular Spam. I find regular Spam too salty, but that's my preference.
- When adding the frozen vegetables and rice, hover your hands over the rice to gauge its temperature. Generally, we want the previous ingredients to be hot before adding the next ingredient. This ensures all the ingredients are cooked for the proper amount of time.
- For the best texture, use day-old rice. Freshly made rice yields stickier, mushier fried rice. If you don't have any old rice, make some new rice and spread it on a baking sheet to dry it for an hour in the freezer.
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